Rail support



Aug. 7, 1951 L. E. WlLLS RAIL SUPPORT Filed Aug. 22, 1946 I N VEN TOR. Lesfer E ll i/b' If/oragj Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES-=" PATENT OFFICE RAIL SUPPORT Lama Wills; Meridian, Miss.

-' Application August 22, 1946, Serial No. 692,351

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a rail support maintaining railway tracks.

. Truck elements Under practices presently followedin the conthe weight to be imposedsupon and passed over the track, and distributing it to the underlying structure; to hold ties in place; and to provide drainage.

2. Ties, usually of wood, to provide an elastic basefor the rail, thus to perform the secondary function of weight distribution, distributing the weight over the area defined by the length of the ties and along lines at right angles to the rails.

3. Rails, being modified beams, or inverted T beams, to perform -theprimary function of weight distribution, by receiving the weight and transmitting it-lto the ties, distributing the same along the line of the rails and course of the track.

Note.0ther elements (tie plates, frogs, crossovers, etc.) which, contribute to=the described function of the rails, but only as an incident to some additional function, are abvious to all who are skilled in the art, and are not mentione here. 7

Track operation Ballast, as used, is a substance, ranging from sand to crushed rock, and in limited use, concrete casts, conformable to the underlying structure, or capable of conforming the underlying structure to itself, either or both of these functions being utilized in the initial construction and maintenance to facilitate a grade line and a straight line of movement over the rail. Drain age occurs by the passage of water' between the particles, or as the result of' special provision therefor and the contour of the cross section. Weight is received by the parts or particles adjacent to the undersurface of the ties, and is distributed to those under and adjacent to these, and by a series of particles and contacts to the underlying structure; or, in the case of concrete cast, through the-exercise of the-gshear strength of the material, the distribution of the weight being dependent upon the reaction of the underlying structure. Ballast also serves-to hold the ties in place withproper spacing and alignment.

Ties are usually-of wood, the fibers of which provide resiliency vor elasticity to receive the weightoverithe entireareaoi the rail base (or tie plate) and distribute it'over all or a great portion of the area of their bases. This distribution results from the slight or temporary dis= placement of the fibers resulting in their yielding to the load or weight, and in normal operation results in eventual distruction of fibers to the ex tent that ties lose their usefulness because of excessive wear of they bearing surfaces, or because of splits in the grain of the wood.

Rail provides a'relatively rigid rolling surface, yielding to the weight by bending sufficiently to distribute the weight of the load to two -or more ties, the flexibility of the rail in place being dependent upon its design, the weight imposed thereon, and the rigidity of the support thereunder (also on the characteristics ofthe ties, ballast and supporting structure).

In the operation of these elements, changes in and settling of the underlying structure result in a realignment of the ballast and produce con stant, if small, changes in the pattern of weight distribution, resulting in breaking of the particles and unevenness in the support of the rail, re sulting in uneven flexing'of the rails under weight. The resulting disadvantages are well known;

To overcome the efiects mentioned above, the ballast must be reworked or renewed, ties must be replaced, and other. operations must be per-' formed, all of which are familiar to those skilled in the art. My invention consists'in interposing between the rail and tie or tie-plate, another element to provide a lateral distribution of weight and an adjustable means of regulating'or equalizing the weight thus distributed to the points of contact of the adjustable element with the tie or ties-or tie-plates. This element may take one of a muliplicity of forms and may be designed to provide two or more contacts with one tie for each contact with the rail, or may provide for a distribution of weight from one contact with the rail to two or more ties.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing} forming a part of'this application in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a section of a railway showing my improved support applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a detailsectional view drawn'toen-i larged scale, taken along line II-II of Fig. 1; L

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken along line lII--III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a modificaii tion of my invention; and, g I Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken along line V -V ofFig; 4f and drawn to an enlarged scale, I

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention, I show in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive a portion of a railroad track embodying the usual cross ties In and rails I I and I2. At intervals along the length of the rails I place one of my improved supports which comprises a spider l3 having a central portion l4 and radially extending arms IE, IT, and I8 preferably formed integrally with the central portion l4. The arms l6 and I! include between them an angle of 120 degrees, while the arm I 8 bisects the remaining angle of 240 degrees. fastened to the under side of the rails by means of angled plates 9, the plates being held in place by means of bolts 2| and nuts 22. The heads 23 of the bolts 2| preferably are countersunk in the underside of the central portion H of the spider.

The arms extending from the central portion I4 may be of any suitable cross section to withstand the load, and are provided adjacent their ends with threaded openings 24.

Secured to the ties by means of U bolts 26 are a plurality of tie plates 29. The tie plates 29 each are placed over a bearing plate 3|. The latter are clamped against the ties I by means of nuts 32 carried by the threaded ends 33 of U bolts 26. The bearing plates 3| each are provided with spherical seats 34 therein within which is adapted to fit the head 36 of a bolt 31, the upper end of which is threaded into the opening 24 at the end of the arms. The upper end of the bolts 31 are squared as indicated 38, and a lock nut 39 is provided to securely lock the bolts 31 in ad justed position.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the tie and bearing plates are placed alternately on opposite sides of the rails, and are so positioned that the ends of the arms from three separate spiders are carried by each of the assemblies. In this position, the central portion H of the spiders is raised above the upper surface of the ties I9 all of the weight of the rails being supported through the bolts 31 at the ends of the three arms. The load on the rails is thus distributed over the ties and the amount of load carried by each arm may be accurately proportioned by adjusting the bolts 31 and locking the same by means of the nuts 39, any suitable tool being used to engage the squared ends 38 to facilitate turning the bolts.

Referring now'more particularly to Figs. 4 and I show a somewhat modified form of my invention which comprises a rail supporting chair 4| secured beneath the rail by means of angled plates 42 and bolts 43 provided with nuts 44. As best shown in Fig. 5, the chairs each are bent downwardly adjacent the transverse center thereof, and the ends project on either side of the rail where they are provided with threaded openings 46. In this modification, the-rails II and I2 are secured to the ties In by means of the usual tie plates 41 and spikes 48.

Members 49 and 5|, extending parallel to the rails, span the spaces between cross ties and are held'in place thereon by means of U bolts 52 carrying nuts 53 at their upper ends. Adjacent the centers of the members 49 and 5|, between the ties I9, I provide openings 54 for receiving the lower reduced ends of adjusting bolts 51 which are threaded up through the openings 46 in the ends of the arms of the chairs 4|. The bolts 51 each are provided with enlarged diameter portions' 58, resting on the upper surface of the members 49 and 5|, while the upper end is squared as indicated at 59. Each bolt 51 is pro- The spiders are 4 justed position. It vfill be apparent therefore, that with the chairs 4| in place and secured to the rails H and I2, the bolts 51 may be adjusted so that a portion of the load on the rails is transmitted to the ties l9 through the chairs, the bolts 51, and the members 49 and 5|, thus insuring a more even distribution of the load on the cross ties.

Fromjzhe foregoing the pperation of my improved'rail support may be readily understood. In the modification shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the multi-armed spiders are secured to the underside of the rails l9 and II by means of the angled plates l9 and bolts and nuts 2| and 22,

respectively. Bolts 31 are threaded into the openings 24 in the ends of the arm by a suitable tool i applied to thesquared ends 38, and the lock nuts vided with a lock nut 6| to lock the same in ad- 76 39 are run down against the upper surface of the arms. The load from the rails H and I2 is thus transmitted by the arms to the bolts 31 and the plates 31, and thence to the ties. The plates 29 and 3| are securely held against displacement on the cross ties by the U bolts 26.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the type of support shown therein may be applied to an existing track, embodying the standard tie plates. The'chairs 4|, being depressed at their centers, support the rail at approximately its original vertical position with respect'to the upper surfaces 'of the ties l0, and load is imposed on the" arms by adjusting the bolts 51 and locking them in place with the nuts 6|. The U bolts 52 securely tie the members 49 and 5| to the cross tie, thus to prevent lateral displacement of the members and rails and further aid in distributing the load over a greater area of the face of the cross ties. 7

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have devised an improved rail support which is both economical of manufacture and easy of installation, and one in which the load on the rails is distributed evenly over the cross ties in a plu'-' rality of places. Further, with the modification shown'in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 theuse of the U bolts 26 obviates the necessity of having'to use spikes in the cross ties, resulting in prolonged life of the same.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will'be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway track embodying rails and cross ties,,means supporting each rail from the cross ties comprising a member secured to the underside of the rail and overlying a plurality of cross ties, and vertically adjustable load transmitting mechanisms interposed between the member and the subjacent cross ties and transmitting load imposed on the rail to the cross ties which said member overlies.

2. In a railway track embodying rails and cross ties, a rail support comprising a spider having radial arms disposed to overlie a plurality of cross ties, means tosecure the spider to the underside of the rail, and means to secure the ends of the arms in vertically adjusted relation to the cross ties whereby load on the rails is transmitted through said means to the cross ties.

3. In a railway track embodying rails and cross ties, a rail support comprising a spider having radial arms some of which are disposed to overlie a plurality of cross ties, means to secure the central portion of the spider to the underside of the rail, there being a vertically disposed threaded opening in the end of each of said arms, a hearing plate on the cross ties beneath the ends of the arms, and a bolt having one end threaded into said opening and the other end engaging the bearing plate whereby load imposed on the spider is transmitted through the arms to the cross ties.

4. In a railway track embodying rails and cross ties, a rail support embodying a spider having a generally circular central portion, three radially extending arms formed integrally with the central portion two of which are disposed to overlie a plurality of cross ties, one of the included angles between the two of said arms overlying the plurality of cross ties being 120 degrees and the third arm bisecting the remaining included angle therebetween, and means adjacent the ends of the arms for securing them in vertically adjusted position to the cross ties.

5. In a device of the character described, a support adapted to transmit load from a railway rail to a plurality of cross ties comprising a multiarm member secured beneath the rail and having one arm overlying a given cross tie and two other arms each of which overlies a cross tie on either side of said given cross tie, load distributing plates on the cross ties beneath the outer ends of said arms, and means adjacent the ends of the arms for transmitting load imposed on the rail to said plates and securing said arms in vertically adjusted position relative to said plates.

LESTER E. WILLS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS ,Number Name Date 297,283 Morgan Apr. 22, 1884 474,129 Heath May 3, 1892 1,108,682 Berg Aug. 25, 1914 1,664,458 Mares Apr. 3, 1928 1,742,987 Dalton Jan. 7, 1930 2,439,593 Young Apr. 13, 1948 

